The Gong Show Is Coming Back

And this time it’s live and in your face!

At the Cutting Room, on the first Thursday of the month, starting May 2, The Gong Show will bring back astounding, amazing, stupefying talent that will dumbfound a panel of judges into either going for the gong or simply clubbing themselves over the head with it.

In the 1970s, The Gong Show was Chuck Barris‘s inspired descent into lunacy–a salty spoof of show biz aspirations that had ghastly singers, klutzy jugglers, and bagged comics vying for top–or rather-bottom–honors while the judges filleted their dreams of stardom with withering remarks and eyerolls.

Today, in the midst of TV competition shows that have screechy people battling each other for serious vocal honors, this Gong might be more welcome than ever. Ray Ellin hosts and I pray Rex Reed drops by for a quick comment.